Improvement in car-couplings



l. LEITH. y Car-CouplingsA ented Aprl21,1874.

No.l49,937.

Attorneys.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES LEITH, oF nIDewAY, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR To HIMSELF AND Y WILLIAM T. BURDETT, or SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN CAR-COUPLINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 149,937, dated April 21, 1874; application led March 7, 1874.

To all whom it may concern.:

Be it known that I, JAMES LEITH, of Ridgway, in the county of Elk and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Automatic Gar Coupling, of which the following is a specification Figure l is a top view of my improved carcoupling, parts being broken away to show the construction.u Fig. 2 is a vertical crosssection of the same taken through the line :v w, Fig. l.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

My invention has for its object to furnish an improved car-coupling, which Shall be so constructed as to couple the cars automatically as they are run together, which may be conveniently uncoupled, which will uncouple itself should one or more of the cars be overturned, and which shall be simple in construction, convenient in use, and reliable in operation'. The invention consists in the U-shaped draw-heads, the stationary hook-bars, the sliding pins, the Springs, and the guide-bars or pins, in combination with each other; and in the combination of the chains, the horizontal levers, the upright levers, the slotted guidearms, the springs, the friction-rollers, the arms, and the U-bars, with each other, and with the sliding pins, their Springs, the hook-bars, and the U-shaped draw-heads, as hereinafter fully described.

A are the draw-heads, which are made U- shaped, and are designed to be secured to the cars in the same way as the ordinary drawheads. The mouths of the draw-heads A may be made of any desired height and breadth, by making the parts that proj ect from the cars with shoulders or oifsets. To the inner Surface of one side of each of the bumper-heads A is attached the shank of a bar, B, which, as the cars are run together, enters the mouth of the opposite bumper-head. The outer and inner sides of the free or forward ends of the bars B are beveled olf, and upon the inner heads A, and which press against the inner sides of the said pins C. The pins C pass down between two pairs of short cross-bars or pins EE, formed upon or attached to the draw-heads A. To the inner Side of the pins C are attached the ends of chains F, which pass through holes in the opposite sides of the draw-heads A, and with the middle part of which is connected theend of a lever, G. The lever G of each draw-head is pivoted to an arm or bracket attached to the side of said draw-head, and its free end projects so as to pass along the side of the opposite draw-head as the cars are run together. the lower ends of which are pivoted to the lower part ofthe sides of the draw-heads A, opposite the hooks B, and the upper ends of which pass up through the slots of the laterally-projecting guide-arms I, attached to the tops of the draw-heads A. The levers H are held back by the springs J attached to the sides of the draw-heads in such positions as to bear against the lower part of said levers, so that, as the cars are run together, the levers G may pass between the levers H and the Sides of the draw-heads A. To the inner sides of the levers H are attached long rollers K, to diminish the friction as the levers G H rub against each other. To the levers H are attached arms L, which, as the said levers are drawn inward, strike against the loops or U- shaped bars M, the arms of which pass in through holes in the sides of the draw-heads A, and have headsNformed upon or attached totheir ends, which rest against the pins C, so that when the levers H are drawn inward the pins C may be forced away from the hooks B, uncoupling the cars. The same inward movement of the leverH of either draw-head also operates the lever G of the other drawhead, to withdraw the pin C of said other draw-head, so that the coupling may be uncoupled by operating the lever H of either draw-head. The lever H may be operated by hand from the platform of the cars, or they may have a short chain, O, attached to them, theother end of which is attached to a Shaft provided with 4a hand-wheel similar to the shaft and hand-wheel of' an ordinary 'carbrake. This construction enables the cars to' 2. The combination of the chains F, iex'fers be uncoupled from the top of the cams W11'e11 G41e\ e1s H, slotted guide-arms VI, springs J, desired. rollers K, arms L and U, bar M, with the slid- 'Having Jhus described my invention, I clailnV ingrpins'C, springs D, hooks B, and drawas neT and desire to secure by- Letters PatheadsA,s11bstant-ia1ly as shown and described. enti 1. The U-sh2iped draw-heads' A, the sta-- JAMES LEITH tionzuy hook-bars B, the sliding,` pins 0,-the fr -Witnesscs: Y springs D, and the guidebzus E, all combined 1). B. BURDETT,

1 substantially as shown and described. i JOSEPH REYNOLDS. 

